A Cleaner Windows 11 Right-Click Menu Could Be Coming Soon

Windows 11 customizable context menus are on the way, giving users more control over which right-click actions appear and how primary commands are arranged.

Microsoft is working on a redesigned Windows 11 context menu system that should make the menu faster and customizable. The new controls remain hidden in recent preview builds, but Microsoft could announce them soon.

Windows 11 adds a Customize option to context menus

A new Customize menu option will appear at the bottom of the Windows 11 context menu. Selecting it opens dedicated controls inside the Windows Settings app.

Users will then be able to choose which context menu actions Windows displays, including:

• Send to
• Print
• Create shortcut
• Copy as path
• Rotate image
• App extensions
• Arrange primary actions inline
• Keep cloud storage actions in their own section

Hiding unused commands should reduce menu clutter and could also make the right-click menu faster.

Cut, Copy, and Paste can return to a vertical layout

Windows 11 currently places primary actions such as Cut, Copy, and Paste horizontally near the top of the context menu.

Microsoft is adding an option that places these commands vertically alongside the rest of the menu. This layout more closely matches the context menus found in previous versions of Windows.

Microsoft is also changing the default layout

Most optional context menu actions will reportedly start disabled by default. Users who need them can turn them on through Settings.

This approach gives Windows 11 a cleaner default right-click menu while letting users restore the commands they regularly use.

The legacy Windows context menu remains available

Microsoft is not removing the classic context menu. However, the shortcut for opening it will apparently no longer appear in the modern menu by default.

Users will be able to restore that action through the new customization settings. Microsoft still does not offer an option to make the legacy context menu the default Windows 11 experience.

More Windows 11 preview changes are coming

The customizable context menu remains hidden in Windows 11 preview builds, with an official announcement reportedly expected within the next week or two.

Microsoft has also been testing several other interface changes. The recent Windows 11 KB5120998 preview update includes a movable Taskbar, while Windows 11 26H1 KB5120996 brings File Explorer improvements.

Via Windows Central